Monthly Archives: August 2009

Read this and giggle!

Posted on August 28, 2009 | Leave a comment

The Top Ten Reasons To Call Urban Referrals
By Tos

10. “Dancing with the Stars” likes your washing machine’s shimmy so much they’ve asked it to audition for next season.
9. Your creaky floors are causing haunted house flashbacks from your childhood
8. Algae blooms in your garden pond are not considered a “green feature” of your home
7. The gentle hum of your fluorescent lights no longer lulls you to sleep
6. The EPA just listed your wet basement as a SuperFund cleanup site
5. Exposed studs are not architectural details
4. The 50’s called, they want your carpet back
3. Drafty windows are not considered a form of air conditioning
2. Your stove is suffering from hot flashes
1. Waterfalls are for rain forests not your laundry room

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Live chat / support now available on urbanreferrals.com!

Posted on August 24, 2009 | 2 Comments

Hello all,

I am thrilled to announce we have live chat/support on our website .

Our goal is to answer questions visitors may have that will enable them to fill out our contactor referral request form and get connected to reliable and dependable home improvement companies in the DC metro area.

This feature is available during our business hours (Monday – Friday, 8 am – 5pm).

When the live chat feature is offline you can fill out three fields (name, email address and your questions) then click send. Someone from our team will receive an email and get in touch with you no later than one business day (in most cases very quickly)!

I hope our live chat is useful for all visitors to urbanreferrals.com.

Please try it out and let me know your thoughts.

Thanks and happy remodeling!

Marla

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Live support on urbanreferrals.com coming soon!

Posted on August 20, 2009 | Leave a comment

We will soon offer live support during business hours to answer quick questions visitors may have before they submit the contractor referral request form!

Will advise when it’s live!

Thanks
Marla

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Summer tips for staying cool without spending a fortune

Posted on August 17, 2009 | Leave a comment

Here are some tips from ecobeco,

Your first goal is to keep your conditioned air in the home longer.
• Close your windows and doors tight (lock them to be sure).
• Draw your shades closed to keep out the light.
• Weatherstrip your doors and windows.

To save money on cooling, try these:

• Get a Home Energy Audit to help identify places that need air sealing and insulation augmentation.
• Replace your oldest HVAC appliances with ENERGY STAR appliances.
• Incandescent lights not only use lots of electricity, but they also emit lots of heat. Switch to CFLs to cool down your home.
• Turn on your ceiling fan when you are in a room with a fan to create a breeze that cools your skin by 5-8 degrees. When you leave the room, shut the ceiling fan off. Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms. (ps – don’t use window fans! we want to circulate conditioned air, not fresh hot humid air)
• Use a programmable thermostat to raise the temperature in the home when you’re not there. You’ll be surprised how quickly your AC can cool the home when you get home.
• De-humidify the home. Your AC unit does this naturally, but if your home is still too humid (over 60% relative humidity) then buy a dehumidifier. Humidity makes rooms feel warmer than they really are.

Hope these tips help!

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Let’s Talk Budget

Posted on August 17, 2009 | Leave a comment

It happens so many times… I am talking with a client and ask the big question; “what is your budget” and there is a silence on the end of the phone. Why is everyone so hesitant to talk about it?

At Urban Referrals we ask the budget question for a couple of reasons. Please keep in mind, all reasons, are designed to provide the customer and contractor with the best possible home renovation experience.

Foremost, knowledge is power (haven’t we heard that since we were in middle school!). Homeowner’s (including myself) need to be educated on the costs of remodeling our homes, from minor plumbing repairs to adding a two story addition.

Second, we want to help alleviate sticker shock. We don’t want clients getting their hopes up for that new kitchen that cost three times what they have to spend. Discussing budget allows for discovery about renovations that can be completed based on available funds.

Third, we want to match consumers up with the best possible company, for all of their home improvement projects. For every referral we provide we’ve reviewed desired time frame, project location, trade, and of course budget. Each contractor prices their services differently; services different areas and some have project minimums that need to be met.

Contact us for a copy of the 2009 Cost vs. Value report to learn what renovations cost in the DC Metro area and what your return on investment can be. Fill out this form and we’ll email it to you right away.

Happy Remodeling!

Erin

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Important information on the EPA Lead Rule

Posted on August 14, 2009 | Leave a comment

Good evening –

I have had the pleasure of working with Mark Paskell, Contractor Business Coach, over the past few months and am incredibly impressed with his knowledge of our industry. Mark has over 20 years experience in the remodeling industry working in all facets of the business. He currently coaches companies on how to implement best practices and system so they can have a life outside of work and make money!

Please take a moment to read Mark’s blog and bio, as he could be a great resource if you’re feeling challenged by the position your business is in today.

Mark provided me with his blog post (below) to share with you regarding the EPA Lead Rule. It’s critical for anyone working in homes built prior to 1978.

Before you know it April 22, 2010 will be here and any contracting company who works on homes built prior to 1978 will be required to be a certified renovator under the EPA Lead Rule. This rule effects remodelers, painters, plumbers, electricians and any trade that may disturb 6 square feet of areas covered with lead paint. Currently there are not enough trainers certified by the EPA. It is estimated that there are 236,000 contractors who need to be trained by April 2010! And currently there are only 4 certified providers in the entire USA! Do you think it is possible that everyone will be trained in time? Stay tuned for more information on available training providers. Hopefully contractors will be able to get training in there local market in time to avoid the stiff penalties that the EPA can impose. Penalties stated in their rule are up to $32,500 per violation, per day.

Please click here to continue reading (scroll down to the August 8, 2009 post for the critical information and useful links).

I hope you, or someone you know, found this information useful.

Marla

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Free Energy Audits for our customers

Posted on August 11, 2009 | Leave a comment

I’m thrilled that ecobeco was able to offer ten of our clients free energy assessments! Thanks ecobeco!

Sign up for an energy audit now and receive 50% off the price. This is a great way to learn about ways to save money through available tax credits.

Feel free to email me or fill out an online request on our website to get this special pricing.

We’ve had feedback from our customers who were offered free energy audits from Access Green in May and they were amazed by what they learned.

Has anyone reading this had an energy audit?

Good night.

Marla

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Check out Why Should You Be Wary of Contractors With Deals That Are “Too Good To Be True”.

Posted on August 7, 2009 | 2 Comments

Happy Friday everyone. I’ve been working on a similar piece to this blog posting thus wanting to share it with you. The author lives in California, so some of the information is not useful to DC area residents however, some of the information iis important for anyone considering hiring a home improvement professional.

My goal is to always educate Urban Referrals’ customers, contractors and others about the importance of;
screening companies before they work in your home and the cheapest price for your home renovation project is NOT always the best way to go.

Your comments are always appreciated.

Best,
Marla

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